Car-seal.



A. G. MALMSTROM. UAR SEAL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1907.

900,290, Patented Oct. 6, 1908.

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mm sT FATE TOFFEE ALEXANDER e. MALMSTROM, 'OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-SEAL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER G. MALM- STROM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the'county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Car-Seals, of which the following is a specification.

My inventionconcerns seals for railway car doors and the like, its object being the production of a reliable, eflicient, and inexpensive device of this character.

The invention relates more particularly to the means for attaching the sealing rivet to one end of a metal strip or band forming the sealing strap adapted to be passed through eyes orloops on the car door and wall. A substantially rectangular apertured metal strip is cut longitudinally and crosswise at one end adjacent to one of the apertures or holes therethrough to provide a plurality of outwardly-extended tongues and a number of inwardly-extended ears, oneof the earsintegrally joining the sets of tongues and ears to the main body-of the strip. These tongues and ears are bent to provide out of the former a bushingor sleeve extended outwardly from one face of the metal strip while the ears are arranged substantially radially about the axis of the tube or sleeve formed by the tongues. Then the part of the strip having the tongues and ears is folded over on itself so as to bring the ears against one face of the strip with the bush ing or sleeve extended or projectedthrough the aperture or hole at the end of the sealing strap. A soft metalrivet is introduced into the bushing, its head or enlarged end covering the radiating ears. Pressure is brought.

to bear on this head and on the tongues of the bushing, whereby the ears are covered by and become embedded in the soft metal of the head of the rivet, while the tongues of the bushing become similarly embedded or pressed into the cylindrical surface of the shank of the rivet. By these means the rivet is securely fastened in place to one end of the metal strap ready for use. To lock the car door closed, the strap or band is passed through the adjacent loops or eyes of the door and car wall and is then bent so as to project the shank of the rivet through the aperture at the other end of the strap or strip. Pressure applied to the rivet upsets the same so that the two ends of the strap are securely bound together and cannot be sepa- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed September 1 8, 1907. Serial No. 393,465.

H Patented Oct. e, 1908.

- the steps pursuedin the manufacture of my improved car seal, and have also shown the completed car seal.

On the drawing Figure 1 shows the blank or thin strip of sheet metal from which the car seal is manufactured after the same has been provided with apertures near its opposite ends and has been cut or severed at one end adjacent to one of the apertures to provide a plurality of tongues and ears; Fig. 2 illustrates the same strip of metal after the series of tongues have been bent up to form a bushing or sleeve and the ears have been bent so as to be disposed radially about the axis of the tube or sleeve formed by the tongues; Fig. 3 is anedge view of the construction shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a face view of a portion of the car seal after the part thereof provided with the tongues and ears has been folded over on to the main body of the strapor band so that the cars will lie against the rear face of the metal band and the tongues forming the bushing will extend through the aperture; Fig. 5 is anedge view of the construction shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 shows the end of the seal after the soft metal rivet has been passed through the bushing and its head has been pressed down over the radiating ears and the tongues forming the bushings have been squeezed into the cylindrical shank of the rivet; Fig. 7 is a central longitudinal section of the two ends of the metal band forming the strip after the same has been folded over so as to bring its two ends face to face and the rivet has been put through the aperture at the other end of the strip, and the shank of the rivet has been upset or headed to prevent their separation.

The thin, narrow, rectangular metal strip 10 which is to form the band orstrap of the car seal is provided near its ends with the circular apertures 11 and 12 extended therethrough. One end of the strip is cut transversely or crosswise inwardly from the opposite longitudinal edges at 13, these cuts being in alinement but not extending to the middle of the strip, as is clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. The end of the strip is thenv sheared or cut inwardly longitudinally by a plurality of short parallel cuts 14 which provide the set of outwardly-extended tongues 15.- This same end of the strip is also sheared in parallel relation at 16 from the cuts 13 toward the end of the strip to supply a plurality of inwardly-extended ears 17, the center one of which, characterized 17, integrally connects the groups of tongues and ears with the main body of the strip. The groups of ears and tongues are then bent by dies or formers to the shape illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 so that the plurality of tongues 15 collectively or unitedly form a bushing or sleeve projected at right angles from one of the fiat faces of the metal strip, while the set of ears 17 remain in the plane of the strip but are radially arranged around the base of the bushing or sleeve formed by the tongues to comprise, in effect, a washer. Subsequently the metal strip 10 is folded over on the line 18 so that the device assumes the form and shape illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the washer formed of the ears 17 lying against the rear fiat face of strip 10, while the bushing or sleeve composed of the tongues 15 is projected through the adjacent aperture 11 and extended outwardly from the opposite face of the strip 10 some little distance. A rivet 19 is then fitted in the bushing composed of the parts 15, and its head 20 is pressed down over the ears 17 so that the latter become embedded therein. Also, the tongues 15 are pressed into the cylindrical surface of the shank 21 of the rivet, whereby the soft metal rivet is firmly and securely held in place and its dislodgment effectively prevented.

As is illustrated in Fig. 6, the shank 21 of the rivet extends some distance beyond the bushing, this extra portion being pro- Vided to form the head of the rivet after the same is upset. After the metal band 10 is passed through the eyes or loops on the car door and wall, it is bent around so that its two ends lie flat against each other, the rivet and bushing 15 being passed through the hole 12. Then by a hand press or otherwise the shank 21 of the rivet is upset to form a head 22 which completely covers over the portions of the tongue 15, which are also bent over in the upsetting operation. The completed car seal is illustrated in section in Fig. 7.

It will be apparent to all skilled in the art that by my invention I have provided a metallic seal which is economical of manufacture, and in which the soft metal rivet is securely and firmly held at one end of the strap ready for passage through the hole at the other end of the strap, and for upsetting or heading.

Although I have described the cutting and bending operations as occurring successively, it is to be understood that two steps may occur at the same time, if desired.

I claim:

1. A car seal comprising before it is sealed an apertured metal strip with a. bushing fitting and permanently held in one of said apertures, and a rivet extended through said bushing and held from dislodgment thereby, substantially as described.

2. A car-seal comprising before it is sealed an apertured metal strip having a bushing integral therewith fitting in one of said apertures, and a rivet extended through said bushing and held from dislodgment thereby, substantially as described.

8. A car seal comprising an apertured metal strip having a folded-over portion provided with a plurality of tongues extended through one of said apertures and collectively forming a bushing, and a rivet fitted in said bushing and held from dislodgment by the tongues forming the same, substantially as described.

4. A car seal comprising an apertured metal strip having at one end a folded-over portion provided with a plurality of radiating ears integral therewith and lying against one face of said strip and a plurality of tongues integral therewith and extended through one of said apertures and grouped to collectively form a bushing, and a rivet extended through said bushing and held in place by the tongues composing the same, substantially as described.

ALEXANDER G. MAhlllS'lROlll.

Vitnesses \VALTER M. FULLER, CLARE L. Rosmvow. 

